


Raising Luke

by emryskynobi



Series: The Multi-Verse of STAR WARS [4]
Category: Star Wars Legends, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M, Leia and Han are OTP but there is some Luke and Han, M/M, Obi-Wan wins a battle against Sidious he didn't even know he was fighting, Originally Posted on LiveJournal, Surrogacy, Unrequited to requited love, please do not post to another site, special appearance Beru Whitesun Lars, weird body guard not quite incest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:02:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23169751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emryskynobi/pseuds/emryskynobi
Summary: When Obi-Wan goes to deliver Luke to the Lars’, stuff happens.
Relationships: Leia Organa Skywalker & Han Solo, Leia Organa Skywalker & Winter Organa, Luke Skywalker & Han Solo, Luke Skywalker & Leia Organa Skywalker, Luke Skywalker/Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala/Sabé
Series: The Multi-Verse of STAR WARS [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1662073
Comments: 6
Kudos: 52





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own these guys. George Lucas created them. Disney now owns them (but doesn't appreciate them or treat them right).

* * *

Luke had only now stopped crying for his sister.

Obi-Wan shielded his face from the wind that blew on this accursed planet, cradling the tiny warmth near and thinking of another child being delivered to another pair of arms, his heart breaking within his chest for the little ones who longed for each other. They had done what they thought was right, but was it really? Was this heart rending decision the only one they could have made in light of all that had happened to them?

Gently carrying the boy, he walked along the sand, heading towards a home he’d only ever heard about from Anakin’s teary confession as he’d curled up against him, shaking with tears of bitter regret over what he’d almost done. How close he'd come to committing a terrible, unforgivable crime against those who'd harmed his mom. It was all Obi-Wan could do to hold the boy near to him as he shook with his fears and his great desire to stay hidden, stay away from the knowledge of what he had thought about doing.

How afraid he was by this great, dark **_thing_** that seemed to live inside of himself. And how it was Obi-Wan's story of what he'd felt about the being who'd killed his Master and were he drew that strength to battle it before falling into the pit. How it was falling and realizing that he was helpless if he continued to draw from the darkness to save himself that gave him the strength to let go of that hatred and reach for the Light within him, that helped calm Anakin down.

_I know that it feels that you are alone, Anakin, but you are not the only one to face such darkness inside. All of us, even Master Yoda, has the potential to fall. Our strength comes in finding the strength and courage to turn away. I never knew your mother but I believe that she would be proud of you for not harming the Tusken Raiders who had so grievously wounded her. And I am proud to call you my Padawan. I just wish I'd been able to be there with you._

Tears stung the corners of his eyes as he remembered Anakin's reply, _You were, Master, you were_.

 _What had changed between them that they now stood on opposite sides, now enemies_?

There was a shadowy figure in the distance and he shook off those thoughts. He could make out a face made far older than it should be by the worries of this land and the news of the outer world. She stood patiently waiting for them to draw near to her, though her teeth worried at her lower lip relentlessly. A sudden feeling swept over him and he almost stumbled, wanting to deny that which he heard whispered upon the breeze.

“You are welcome to stay the night, Master Kenobi,” she greeted him. Her voice was quiet in the night, tense with sorrow and something quite unreadable. “But you and the child must leave in the morning. I am unable to care for him as you wish me to.”

“I only require you to love him. To protect him for you are his family,” Obi-Wan protested, his grip tightening unintentionally upon Luke. No word or sound of protest escaped the baby’s lips for he seemed to crave this tightened hold, to need the reassurance it offered. “Surely, you cannot turn out a child in desperate need of a mother’s love.”

“If our circumstances were different, I would not turn him aside. But things are what they are. The child cannot stay.”

Obi-Wan grasped around for something - _anything_ \- to say. But for once, the famous Negotiator's tongue was silenced, empty of words to speak. “Please, Mrs. Lars, I can give you the money you require if that is what is holding you back. The Temple no longer needs the funds and Master Yoda decided that they should be held in trust for Luke. An inheritance, if you will. The money is rightfully yours for you would be raising him.”

Beru shook her head, unwilling to even look at the baby he held out to her, pleading in those deep gray eyes. “I cannot accept the money nor the child. Ask no more from me than what I am willing to give you, Master Kenobi.”

“But…”

"Please,” she pleaded with him, a sheen of tears in her eyes. “Say no more. I cannot accept the child.”

Obi-Wan’s eyes closed, agonized to have to accept this choice of hers. To have come all this way and what was the result of this journey? The promised safe haven was taken from the boy. But he could not force her to take Luke - doing so would go against everything he believed in. Following her inside the homestead, his steps felt leaden - then he stopped, eyes wide with horror.

For there, waiting inside for him - was Anakin Skywalker.

Automatically, he took a step back, ready to flee with Luke, though he was not sure where he would go. His mind was a blank, full of nothing but a sense of fear for the baby in his arms. There was no where on Tatooine where he could hide. All he knew for sure was that he had to escape from this place and leave with the boy before…before…the thought was to horrible, he couldn’t allow it to finish.

“Please,” the word escaped him in a voice full of tears. “Don’t…Don’t leave now, Master.”

Obi-Wan stared at him, unable to speak for there was nothing he could say. Nothing he wanted to say to this…this person who had been his friend and apprentice. All he could see before his eyes were the dead - _the accusing dead_ \- that littered the Temple floors.

Dead that had fallen by this man’s blade.

And though he wished to be angry - **_to be furious_** \- for what had been done, he could not. All he felt was numb, except for the achingly constant feel of the pain that coursed through his veins, deafening him to all else.

Anakin rose to his feet, shaking in reaction, stumbling towards him and collapsing at his feet, pleading. His hands twitched restlessly, wanting to reach out but knowing they could not. “Please, don’t leave me. I…I…Master, I didn’t **_do_** any of those things. You must believe me. **_I didn’t do them_**!” His blue eyes rose to meet his Master’s pained ice gray ones, unflinching though he could see the confused condemnation in their depths.

He pressed on, knowing that his words were repetitious but they were all he could think of to say. “I didn’t do any of them. You know who I am, Master, though you doubt that truth and there are some things we have kept from each other. It doesn't stop the truth - _**you know me better than anyone in the Galaxy**_. In almost every battle fought, you’ve been by my side. Do you honestly think that I would hurt those in the Temple? That I would slaughter those innocent children? Do you think that I have the strength to turn from you? The Jedi Order is my life because _you_ are my life. The thought of you stopped me from making a terrible mistake once before, on this very planet.

"And this war has only caused my loyalty to you to grow and deepen. I would never betray the trust you placed in me for that would mean betraying you. You have to believe me, Master. I would never do anything to cause you pain.”

“How can I believe you when the proof of your ability to lie and deceive me is right here - in my arms? That you placed another above the Jedi Order?” he finally found his voice and asked, voice hoarse and raw with unshed tears of grief and agony - of stark condemnation and desperate understanding. “You knew the Code, Anakin.”

“I never betrayed the Code though you know that I disagree with it intensely. The child is only mine because Padmé wanted a child for her and Sabé. She was looking into adoption but found that path blocked. So, she asked me to help her and Sabé. She knew that she could trust me in this,” Anakin dully explained, unable to stop from reaching out a hand to grasp onto his robe, desperate for that contact. “She knew that I would never require more from her - because I had already confessed my love for another person."

A deprecating smile crossed his face, "Well, she brow beat me until I _admitted_ my love for someone else. You know how idiotic I acted when I met her again but she cut through that nonsense quickly, calling me an ass. She forced me to face a few hard truths about myself that I didn't want to. But now? I can't imagine who and what I'd be if it hadn't been for what she did for me. I am in love with a very special man and I would not betray him though I know that I will never have his love - his friendship is...was enough for me.” His eyes pleaded with Obi-Wan to realize the truth.

To _recognize_ who it was he spoke about and that he meant every word.

Shaking his head, to numb to process his words, Obi-Wan broke out of the light hold and stumbled out the door. It was all to much for him to take in. These revelations that came - fast and furious - had him reeling under the pressure, under the confusion of betrayal and hope.

Breathing in the cold, dry air, he tried to regain his focus, tried to find some calm somewhere within. Everything seemed fuzzy and beyond his grasp as he buried his face in Luke’s hair, wishing for the baby’s peace. Gasping out in pain when Anakin’s hand closed on his arm, his head jerked up, glancing back at him.

Still raw and open, the wound from Grievous’ claw had yet to heal for he had not had a chance to do even the basic healing upon it after the surprise attack by his own men. It was a welcomed pain for it distracted him from the rawness inside his heart at what had happened to his world, to his family and friends. Though Anakin’s hold loosened enough for him to break free from it, he did not.

Suddenly, he was too tired and felt far to defeated to deal with this.

“Master, hear me out. If you still wish to leave…I will abide by your choice. I will not follow you or the baby. I…I will leave you in peace,” his voice was pinched taut with agony. Agony that was caused by what happened at the Temple and the utter heartbreak that threatened to tear his Master to pieces. His own pain meant nothing in the face of Obi-Wan’s. “I will not ask more from you than you are willing to give me. Just give me a chance to explain what happened after you left.” He almost wished to say that Obi-Wan owed it to him. That he owed him this chance but he knew that in truth, his Master did not.

Obi-Wan owed him nothing.

Obi-Wan slowly turned around to face him, shocked to see the tears that ran down Anakin’s cheeks in continuous rivers. Luke sniffled a little in his arms but remained quiet, untouched by the emotions swirling around him. Tremulously, he raised a hand and brushed them away, one by one. His eyes closed, remembering all the times he’d done this in the past.

Anakin nuzzled into his palm, aching for that touch. He soaked in the touch, fearing he'd never feel it or his Master's soothing presence again. His eyes never left Obi-Wan’s face though they wanted to drift shut under the touch, unsure of what he could do to prove to him that he had never been more serious in his life.

That he was still loyal to Obi-Wan and by extension, the Jedi Order - whatever that actually meant thanks to Sidious' declaration.

With his eyes closed, Obi-Wan opened himself up to the Force. There was no lie, no deception revealed to him about Anakin’s sincerity and his words. And he _wanted_ , more than anything, to listen to his friend. To believe his words - to know the truth of what had happened after he left Coruscant for it was better than believing what he had seen.

Swallowing hard, he finally nodded, “Let’s talk inside, Knight Skywalker.”

Anguish flared brightly to hear his name referred to so distantly but he didn’t say a word, for he was not willing to jeopardize this chance. “Yes, Master,” he replied, following him slowly back into the homestead. Beru had left out a pot of tea and granted them privacy, for which he was grateful.

He didn’t think he could do this with an audience.

Obi-Wan sat down stiffly, unsure of what to do with young Luke.

Unsure of what to do with himself now that he had decided to listen to Anakin’s story, for this went against everything that he’d ever learned and was taught to do, he remained motionless on the chair. It went against the dictates of the Jedi Order for in sitting here, he was betraying them.

Yet, he could do no less for Anakin even though there was a distinct unease in the room that had never been between them - not even in their early months as Master and Padawan. Even after they had been torn asunder after the events on Jabiim when he'd been thought dead, had there been such a feeling of unease and distance. If anything, his rescue had brought him closer to Anakin.

He hated the feeling that he was farther away from Anakin than he had ever been.

Anakin cleared his throat, staring at his hands, wondering what he should do. Shifting to his other foot, he felt a familiar weight at his side. It was as reassuring as it was deeply painful. Making a quick decision, he removed his lightsaber from his belt and knelt down in front of Obi-Wan, placing it in his Master’s lap.

Obi-Wan raised startled eyes to his, unsure what to make of this move. “Anakin?” he asked, his shaky voice a hushed whisper but painfully loud in the silent room.

Swallowing, Anakin raised his eyes to meet Obi-Wan’s own, “Yes, it is what you think. Until I have proven myself innocent to you, I am not worthy to carry a Jedi’s lightsaber. I cannot even rightly call you Master.”

He stared at him, utterly unable to think of a word to say. Unable to even comprehend the severity of Anakin’s choice and his actions. Giving up his lightsaber - even if he could still call upon the Force for aid - put him in a position where he saw himself as powerless for Anakin was not the kind to resort to using the Force in any situation unless he had no other option.

Having lived his early life totally under the contradictory and sometimes flippant control of others, Anakin rarely relinquished that control over himself and his body. He felt a desperate need to have full control over the situation and as his friend and Master, Obi-Wan realized that he was in a rare position of trust with Anakin.

Though they had arguments over the best way to do things, Anakin followed his lead. He did as Obi-Wan requested, even when he firmly disagreed over the course being taken. Even with this concession, he still preferred to fight in his own manner - he always used the saber rather than yielding to the Force’s will and allowing it to take control of any fight he was in. He never used it unless he had no other recourse of action.

More than anything, this convinced him that he was right to listen. Slipping out of the seat, the lightsaber rolled across the floor as he reached out with a trembling hand, desperate to comfort his stricken friend. Aching to be held and comforted as he had never allowed himself to before, “Anakin…”

“Don’t, Master,” he pleaded, though he was desperate to just accept all that Obi-Wan was offering him, all that he saw in his eyes. It would be so easy to just yield and forget what happened - and it would haunt him for the rest of his life if he did so. “Just don’t until you’ve heard what I have to say. Please - that man could have so easily been me. So easily. Don’t forgive me until you’ve heard everything I have to say.”

“All,” he swallowed hard and leaned back, away from Anakin. He couldn’t rise, that would have taken more strength than he had at that moment, “Right. What is it?”

Anakin closed his eyes, hating this distance - but he needed it. If he was to come clean, he needed Obi-Wan to be apart from him, away from him. It was hard enough doing this with him so close to him anyway. “Do you remember the mission to Tythe?”

How could he forget it? It was on Tythe that things had taken a turn for the worse. He’d never felt farther away from Anakin as he had after they’d received word that the Chancellor had been captured - or rather, the false Chancellor as they had later come to find out. “I remember,” he softly said. “Why?”

Anakin breathed deeply, “I had a vision there - of you dying at the hands of some enemy that I could not see. As we approached Coruscant, they got worse and worse. I didn’t know what to do, could barely think - and you were so far away from me with your obligations to the Council and my friendship with the false Chancellor. I had never felt so alone, like there was no one I could talk to - not even Padmé would listen, so excited for the arrival of her child. Usually, she was someone I could talk to but not in this.

“I was so lost and confused - and it didn’t help that _Sidious_ ,” he spat out the name with enough venom that Obi-Wan flinched back, almost expecting some damage to be inflicted upon the ground between them. “Was constantly asking to see me and that he needed my help. It was in the Opera House that he first told me of Darth Plagueis who he called the Wise for his knowledge of the Dark Side was incredible and complete. I know that I should have suspected something then. It was apparent that not all was as it should be with him - for how could he be intimately aware of a certain Sith Lord if he was not himself one? And there was his strange behavior on the Invisible Hand."

"What?!?" he couldn't stop the question, though this was hardly the time to be asking about it. Though if what Anakin was implying was true, then Dooku's death may not have been so accidental at all. _Just how long was Sidious planning all of this? Was nothing left to chance, nothing a true twist in fate? Was it all the Sith Lord?_

"He tried to convince me to kill Count Dooku..." the words came slowly and he blinked. "Master, he almost had me kill an unarmed man!"

"Why didn't you?"

For a moment, he was silent, debating what he could say. But he'd come this far in admitting everything about his attachment to this man before him, though Obi-Wan remained fully oblivious as to the strength and nature of his feelings, Anakin had a feeling he was going to have to spell it out for him. "If you hadn't moved, I most likely would've. But I heard you and it broke his hold over me. I knew that it wasn't what you would want me to do. That you would be disappointed in me if I had killed him in anything but honest combat."

"Anakin..." he trailed off because he had no words. He knew how often his friend had flirted with the Dark Side, how the two of them seemed to balance each other out because they had found a middle ground to walk across. He 'd known that a calm word from him had often soothed Anakin's anger. How Anakin's steady friendship had often grounded him on missions when he felt himself wavering, wondering if what they were doing was right. Still, to hear him say this, Obi-Wan was beginning to think that there was something more to Anakin's feelings for him than mere friendship. But that was impossible...wasn't it?

He tilted his head, waiting for Obi-Wan's words, rather stunned when nothing else came from him. After a moment of silence, he took a deep breath and continued his tale. "Once I returned from my, uh, _glorious day with politicians,_ I went to my room and tried to sleep. And dreamed of you dying. No matter which way I moved about in the dream, all I could see was you dying - some times it was falling into a chasm. Other times, you were killed in a lightsaber battle. The most painful one was when you faced a dark being who struck you down. This being was in all these dreams, somehow always causing your death. These dreams paralyzed me, Master - this dark and terrible enemy that I could not see, could not save you from.”

Anakin stopped and swallowed deeply, staring at the ground as he whispered, “One that I feared more and more as more time went on was…me.”

“You?” Obi-Wan gasped, a question of disbelief in his words. “Anakin, how could you think that?”

“What else could it be, Master, when I could not see the face of the enemy? When I could not do anything to help you? To save you?” he desperately asked, looking up at him. “Answer me truthfully, Master, how could I think otherwise when no matter how hard I tried, you always died through this being's actions? And was it not you, yourself, who always said that I would be the death of you?”

Obi-Wan couldn’t met his eyes, ashamed of his words. All those times he’d said them in passing or casually. He had never meant the words as anything more than a joke. If he had only known how it hurt Anakin…how it had come to haunt the young man, he would have stayed silent. _Oh, Force, what kind of horrible and callous friend was he that he hadn't recognized the pain he was causing Anakin_?

“Master, don’t do this to yourself,” Anakin pleaded, feeling the thoughts in Obi-Wan's head and flinching, knowing that his Master was beating himself up over this. That had not been his intention. “It hurts me when you hurt yourself like this. You are as human as the rest of us. And you meant no harm, you couldn’t have known how I felt because I never told you. I didn’t want you to know, to think that I was weak or unworthy to be your Padawan and later on, to be your friend. But he knew - I don't know how he figured out what I was still unwilling to admit to. But Sidious knew how I felt about the Order...about you. I came so close to falling because he promised me that you would live if I helped him.”

Swallowing against his shame, he refocused on Anakin. “Why didn’t you?”

“You,” he simply replied, almost reaching for him then. “He could promise me that you would live - but he couldn’t promise that you wouldn’t hate me for joining him. He couldn’t promise me that you would still be my friend, that you would still…care for me. All he could say was that using his knowledge, I would able to save you from the death I saw. I almost accepted after I told Master Windu about him. I sat in the Council Chambers and saw your death over and over. I knew that I had to protect you from it, that I had to save you…”

Anakin stopped and rose, walking to the far side of the room, his fist clenched tightly. His breathing deepened, became raspy as he recalled the events that followed. Though the room was warm, he had never felt colder. “I got into my speeder, intending to go to the Senate and make sure that it was an arrest. I needed to make sure of this myself. They needed to arrest him because I needed him to help save you even if you hated me for it. My vision changed suddenly, became darker. Stars’ end, Master, I nearly caused several accidents because I couldn’t control my ship.”

“Your vision changed?” The question came to keep Anakin talking, to keep him on task. But every word that he heard horrified him. Anakin cared that much? For him? It was not the way of the Jedi. It was to deep, to much. It would lead them absolutely nowhere. And yet, it filled him with a warmth he couldn’t explain.

 ** _No one_** had **_ever_** cared that much for him.

Nodding slowly, his voice lowered until it was quieter than a whisper and Obi-Wan strained to hear him. “I saw myself help Sidious kill Master Windu. He fell out the window under the onslaught of Sith lightening. I swore to do whatever he wanted as long as he helped me save you. I…killed the younglings, Master. I slaughtered every single one of them because I was told that they would stop me. They were my enemies for they wouldn’t understand, they would never let me save you.”

If possible, his voice got even quieter. “And then I went to see Padmé. I…I, Master, I killed her because she carried my child - a child that would grow up to be my enemy. Sidious then sent me to kill the separatists. And…and…and…it was on that planet, in that stinking hellhole that I faced you. We fought a ferocious battle…” his voice trailed off as he sunk to the ground, burying his face in the wall. “It was so gruesome physically and emotionally. I didn’t want to fight you but I did - because you stood against me. I couldn’t take that, Master. I **_hated_** the fact that you were against me, that you would not see my point of view.

“And I wanted to kill you. I **_relished_** the tears on your face, the pain in your eyes. You finally gained the upper hand and wanted to end the battle with neither of us as victor. All you wanted was for us to part. But I wouldn’t listen to you. I wanted to scar you for betraying me, _kill you for not wanting to be with me_ , and so I jumped, trying to defeat you still. You wounded me and left me there, on fire after I told you that I hated you.”

Anguished eyes glanced over his shoulder, meeting the wet eyes of Obi-Wan. “I actually screamed that at you. The words “ _I hate you_ ” came from me, poisoning all that we had - after you told me that you loved me. You told me that you loved me and all I could feel was hate, was disappointment, and enraged betrayal. It was so real, I can still smell the ash and soot that covered the planet. I can feel that hatred scouring through me - I can feel your desolation over leaving me there. I left Coruscant and headed for Utapau, I had to find you. I had to make sure you were all right. But the clones, that horrible Order 66 came…they were everywhere. I wanted to be with you but there were so many others who needed me in that moment. I…I helped them, Master.”

The room descended into silence, both locked in silent conversation as they stared at each other.

Obi-Wan rose finally and stumbled over to Anakin, kneeling down beside him. “You did the right thing,” he softly said, a trembling hand resting momentarily on the crown of Anakin’s head. “Saving them over me was the best thing you could have done. They needed you more than I did. But I don’t understand. Why did you turn away?”

“Because I love you,” Anakin simply replied, resting his hand on Obi-Wan’s thigh and squeezing it gently. “I may not want you to die. _**Ever**_. But I don’t want to cause you pain even more. And by falling into the darkness, I did just that.”

“How can you say such things? How can you mean it?” the cry was despairingly intent and seeking for understanding.

Anakin shrugged, his smile soft and kind. “It’s just the way I am, Master. I love you and it is as simple - and as complex - as that.”

“But I don’t understand how you can say such things. How you can believe this way,” he said, torn between looking at Anakin and staring at the hand that stood out in stark contrast to his dark brown pants. “I just don’t understand.”

Cold metal gently touched his cheek and he flinched at the feel before allowing himself to lean into the tentative touch. For once, he allowed himself to take comfort from another and felt as though this was the start of a new path. There was something in the Force that whispered to him, held him, gently soothed him, and he trembled, not knowing what to make of it.

“I know,” he softly replied, soothing the skin on his cheek. His eyes were intent, full of loving adoration. “But I’ll show you, Master, if you will let me. I will show you everything.”

“I don’t know, Anakin…” he trailed off when Anakin’s hand moved from his cheek to his chin, cupping it and bringing it up so that he was looking straight at him. It was incredibly odd to be the focus of those eyes, those intense eyes that seemed to speak of endless possibilities and opened up worlds that Obi-Wan had never considered.

“Trust me, Master,” he softly pleaded. “This love I feel for you is not to be feared, it is to be embraced. It is something that will only bring us strength. Love is not something that will separate one from the Force. Instead, it will open up the Force to one. My love for you helped stop me from making several mistakes and I have become better because of it. Let me teach you this truth, as you taught me, Obi-Wan.”

It was slow, this nod of acceptance he gave, almost as if he was watching himself from another vantage point. All Obi-Wan knew was that he’d turned a corner walking around it blindly - and that he would be all right for Anakin was with him.

And yet, there was something that he could not forget. That he would not allow himself to forget, “Sidious?”

Anakin’s eyes hardened, though his touch remained gentle and comforting, “Will pay for what he has done. But neither of us is strong enough to face him, not even together. I know what I saw, he has the skills to defeat a sword master like Master Windu. And he can use the Force with an authority that rivals that of Master Yoda. This I do know - he will be brought down by our combined hand, if for no other reason than for the shadows I see in your eyes.”

“What of your own reputation?”

“Make no mistake, I am hurt by what he did. He was my friend and he betrayed me. By doing this…he destroyed what affection I had for him. I want to know how he got a perfect likeness of me. I want to know where he found someone who could fight like me with both saber and the Force. I want my good name restored to me,” Anakin’s voice was hard and cold. “But what he did to you is unforgivable. And for that, he will suffer.”

* * *

_Suffice it to say that, in this universe, Anakin did **not** kill those in the Tusken camp nor did he kill Dooku. And, yes, Obi-Wan is holding Luke this whole time. Quite the acting father, isn't he?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Years of living in exile pass before they receive a call from someone special and important for help...

* * *

_16 Years Later..._

Luke scanned the horizon, anxiously awaiting the news from his father. Anxious to hear if he had gotten word from his other father about what happened to Alderaan and his sister. Ever since the invasion of the Emperor’s fleet into that particular area of space, both he and his father had been in unimaginable agony.

Mercifully for them both, Papa-Wan was not as deeply affected by the chaotic mess that raged through them. It was he who had kept them both sane and functioning. And while he had been as worried about Leia and his friends, he had remained calm and had been their rock throughout this ordeal. A smile twisted his lips as he thought about the older man and what he meant to him and his dad, a slight breath escaping his lips as he thought about what others would say if they heard what he still called the man. Although he supposed that now that he was sixteen, he should call him by his rightful name, Obi-Wan.

He wasn’t going to though.

Papa-Wan was _his_ Papa-Wan and that was just the way it was, no matter what that idiot Han said. Han…Sometimes he agreed with his father about him, Papa-Wan should never have rescued that thoughtless jerk from the Empire. But it was only sometimes that he thought it though because the man had risked his life to save a Wookiee, a race known as enemies of the Empire. There was something about the older man that made Luke feel safe and cared for - and it confused him.

A small light blinked a few times through the gloom of the forest on Zonama Sekot. Focusing the scanner on that beam of light, he read it and breathed a sigh of relief.

While it wasn’t the message he wanted, he knew that it meant that his father would be coming home soon - and that Papa-Wan was safe on his mission. He resolutely ignored the voice that whispered insidiously, _he’s safe…for now_. His father would need him to be the strong one since Papa-Wan was gone.

Turning about, he made his way to the small house that was all he remembered.

As he stepped onto the porch, he stopped at the swing that his father had built. That swing had been his haven, the one place he could be held by both of his fathers now that he was to old to crawl into bed with them. A bittersweet smile twisted his lips as he recalled the last time they had all sat together was right before Papa-Wan and Han had gone off to Alderaan to see what they could find out. His father had sat, his arm about Papa-Wan, looking tenser than he had even after the pain hit them.

Luke winced, recalling the banked fire of anger in those eyes as they stared at Papa-Wan.

“ _Anakin, I know that you do not want me to go without you but Alderaan is close to Coruscant, the Emperor would know if we both went. And before you say it, you cannot go. You know this full well. He would feel you instantly if you were to get close. He has been hunting you down for years. I cannot conceive of any other solution to this dilemma. Leia is in trouble - and I am the only one who can help her. Contrary to your opinion of me, my beloved, overbearing friend, I can take care of myself.”_

_"I know you can," he protested. "Its that all too often you **don't!** "_

" _Anakin!"_

_He just looked at him, fond exasperation on his face before he got serious, noting the look of resignation in Obi-Wan's eyes as he acknowledged the truth in his words. "What if I told you I that Sidious is haunting my dreams again? That this whole invasion is just a ploy to get you?”_

_“I would believe you - but I would still go alone. We cannot continue to live like this. I love you - this will not change. Even if Sidious kills me, I will still love you. I will still be with you, watching over you and helping you as best as I can. Trust in the Force, my friend. Let it protect me.”_

_“I do trust the Force - it is Sidious I do not trust!”_

_“Did I say I trusted him?” Obi-Wan wryly asked, leaning against Anakin, his arm holding Luke close. Negligently leaning against the post, Han watched them with half closed eyes. There was a hunger in his expression to be included in this familial embrace even as he held himself aloof from them. “I do not trust him. But I don’t believe that the Force is done with either of us, Anakin. Trust me. I shall be all right.”_

_Luke felt the shift and leaned away as his father pulled Obi-Wan closer, desperately kissing him. Finally, he whispered against his lips, “All right, Obi-Wan. All right, you win - this time. I may not like this, but you are right. Don’t wake me to say good bye in the morning, just leave. I will not be able to stay strong - to let you go - if you tell me good bye.”_

_Obi-Wan nodded, silent tears in his eyes. Pulling Luke back into his side, he relaxed between them, dreading the morning. They sat in silence, just listening to the settling of the house. A soft breeze blew through the trees, tangling their hair together. “We shall leave before the sun rises,” he finally said, rising. “So, we should go retire now.”_

_“Can I talk to the kid?” Han asked, looking steadily at the ground._

_“That is up to Luke,” Anakin said, following after Obi-Wan. “If he wants to talk to you, that is his business. But if you hurt him…” he let the sentence trail off, noting the look on Obi-Wan’s face. Rolling his eyes, he pointed out in exasperation, “What? I’m allowed to threaten the boy. After all, he wants to be alone with my son and I don’t know what he plans to do.”_

_Obi-Wan shook his head, reaching out to lace his fingers through Anakin’s. “Come along, beloved. Let us leave them in peace.”_

_“Obi-Wan,” he began to protest._

_“As you have said, it is Luke’s decision. Not yours or mine,” Obi-Wan reminded him, pushing him inside. Pausing upon the threshold, he turned around and stared at Han, a searching look in his eyes. Satisfied with what he found in the brown depths, he entered the dwelling._

_Luke stood up and moved to stand beside Han, looking up at him curiously. “What is it?” he asked when it became apparent that Han wouldn’t say a word. “Surely you didn’t wish to get me alone to just stay silent?”_

_“Your father is weird,” he muttered._

_“Yeah, I knew that already. But thanks for telling me,” he added, laughing. “Han, what is it?” he asked, noticing that the other man remained tense._

_Han glanced at him, almost shyly. It was almost as though he wasn’t quite sure what to say but he knew that it had to be said. “I have a very bad feeling about this. I do not feel very comfortable about taking Obi-Wan away from here without you and your father with us.”_

_Luke bit his lip. “Yeah, you’re not the only one. Something isn’t right here. But you know how he is, once he’s made up his mind, very few things have the power to change it.”_

_“Do me a favor, kid,” Han took a deep breath, turning to face the younger man at last. “Keep an eye on your father. As strong as he is, he’s going to need more help to watch over us and remain hidden than he thinks he will. He’ll need you to protect him from getting caught by Sidious.”_

_“I thought you didn’t believe in the Force,” Luke said, startled by this odd request - and what it implied about Han’s own feelings upon the matter. Startled to realize that there was more going on underneath that cynical, handsome exterior than he’d originally thought._

_“I don’t - not really,” he added deprecatingly, recognizing Luke’s doubtful look. “But I’ve heard some things about the Emperor and none of them are pleasant. As for his apprentice, I don’t think he’s the person that everyone thinks he is.”_

_Luke bitterly snorted. “I know this story better than you, Han. I’m the one who had the shared memory of it with my father. They all think that Vader is Anakin Skywalker.”_

_“Vader isn’t a man at all,” Han said._

_“What?” Luke gasped, half laughing as his head shook in disbelief. Although, he knew that his semi friend had more worldly experience than he did, this story was rather hard for him to trust. “That isn’t possible. Vader means father. It was specifically chosen by Sidious to describe my father. The dark father who birthed the Empire. Unless you know of another meaning for it.”_

_“I don’t,” he admitted reluctantly. “But that doesn’t mean that I am wrong about this. A source of mine told me that the evidence points towards an old enemy of your father. But more importantly, this is an enemy against Obi-Wan himself - and you can’t tell either of them about this.”_

_Luke’s head shook, fear rising in his throat like a dangerous bile, threatening to choke him in its acidic ascension. “No,” he denied, knowing that there was only one other being that Han could be talking about. Someone who hated his fathers more than Sidious did and he knew that it was quite possible. That demon spawn filled his own dreams with screams of terror and he backed off. “You cannot possibly mean…Han, it can’t be…Sith spit, she’s dead!”_

_“No, she’s not,” Han steadily maintained. His hands closed around Luke’s shoulders, pulling him into a warm embrace, rubbing his back. “Calm down, Luke. You don’t want your father out here, asking about this. I know that you know who I’m talking about, you know how he’ll react if he hears her name. He’s psychotic when it comes to protecting both you and Obi-Wan.”_

_Nodding shakily, he relaxed as much as he could. Taking a deep breath, he released it into the Force as Papa-Wan had taught him to. After a moment, he regained his composure and doubt arose. His eyes narrowed and he asked, thinking more clearly now that he fear had abated. “How reliable is this source, Han?”_

_“In all the time I’ve known him, almost everything he’s told me has been truth. I think he was only wrong once. And even then he turned out to be partially right,” he regretfully said. “I’m sorry.”_

_“Yeah, so am I,” he bitterly replied, burrowing into Han’s neck. His arms rose to hug him at last. “You be careful. If this is truth and not just a wild rumor, this woman is not normal. Her hate is a weapon in and of itself.”_

_“Thanks, kid.” They stood there silent. The moon casting a glow over them until Han finally shifted, his hug loosening. “I’ve got to turn in, kid, or I’ll be no good. And you know how much Obi-Wan loves to fly,” he couldn’t help the soft sarcasm that colored his words._

_Luke snickered, “It’s not like you would let him fly your precious piece of junk anyway.”_

_“May I point out that that ‘piece of junk’ has saved your ass time and time again,” he replied, deeply offended._

_“Yeah - and all those times I ended up in danger was because of your foolishness. And, okay, sometimes mine - but I maintain that it was mostly yours. It’s only right that your ship get me out of it,” Luke shook his head with a chuckle, stepping back. “Han, you will take care of Obi-Wan, right? I mean, you won’t let anything happen to him?”_

_“After the way your father fixed my ship, you really think anyone’s going to be able to get their hands on us?” he teased._

_“Han,” he pleaded with him, “Don’t joke about this. Papa-Wan means everything to my father and me. He’s family.”_

_“Hey, I love him too. If not for him, I would have ended up on the executioner’s block for saving Chewy. I’d rather face losing my manhood than see him harmed. I’ll take care of him,” he promised. “I’m going to sleep in the Falcon tonight.”_

_“So, this is good-bye?” Luke asked, tilting his head to the side._

_“No,” Han shook his head. “Your father is right. I could not get through this if we said good bye.”_

_Blue eyes widened as they caught the significance of the spoken words and he stared, almost dumbfounded at him. It had never occurred to him that…was it possible that the older man actually cared for him? “Han?” he started to ask, hushed when a finger gently pressed against his lips._

_“Not now,” he asked softly. “Ask me after we get back - I might decide that it’s a certain spunky princess I’d prefer. She’s got more money - and a planet to boot!”_

_“My sister would eat you alive and you know it,” Luke said, shaking his head as he turned to go inside. His arm was caught and he was spun around, pressed back against the wall before a pair of lips meet his, silencing his questions momentarily. Before he could fully comprehend what was going on, Han had let him go and was walking away_.

“Luke,” his father’s exasperated voice broke into his thoughts, “Would you mind moving? This is not as light as it looks.”

“Oh, sorry. Do you need any help?”

It was on the tip of his tongue to snap that what he needed was Obi-Wan, but he knew that it would do no good. For one thing, Luke already knew that. For another, it wouldn’t work. His beloved would return when he returned and no earlier - and Anakin intended to chain him to his side, never allowing him to leave his sight again. “Just get the door for me, Luke. I can get it inside,” he replied, shifting the box - _yet again_.

Star’s creation, what did Obi-Wan have in this box anyway?

“What is it?” Luke asked, holding the door open from the inside. He stood half inside the doorway that was next to the front door.

“Something of Obi-Wan’s,” he replied, with only the slightest wince in his voice.

“I thought I told you to get rid of that thing,” an amused voice spoke softly, affectionately from behind him.

The box dropped, forgotten as Anakin Skywalker turned around and flung himself at Obi-Wan, nearly crushing him as he smashed their lips together. He spared a moment of thought towards the box, hoping that it really was unimportant before concentrating on the man in his arms again. They stumbled a bit before Anakin regained his balance, not releasing his Master for one second. One strong hand wound its way through the red gold hair to hold him in place as the other moved down his back to pull the smaller man flush against him.

Opening his mind, he allowed the feel and smell of Obi-Wan to fill his senses again, to bring him home again.

“Dad, get a room,” Leia said, pushing past them, not wanting to think about what they were doing. And what it implied about them, she didn't want to face that just yet. “Hey, big brother. Nice to finally meet you face to face. Would you tell that jerk you call a friend to leave me alone. He’s driving me crazy.”

“All I asked was what kind of reward was I going to receive for helping her worshipfulness. I don’t think that’s an unreasonable question, do you?” he asked, helping Winter walk in. The woman leaned heavily against his arm as she limped in. An R2 unit rolled in after her, its head swiveling around before it started to beep enthusiastically, recognizing Anakin - who paid him no mind. After a moment, the droid made a resigned sound and moved into the room, coming to rest beside Luke.

“I take it that you missed me,” Obi-Wan said, rather breathlessly once their lips parted. A tender smile on his face spoke the words he was to shy to utter - that he’d missed him terribly too. More than he could express at the moment.

“More than I could ever show you in this lifetime,” Anakin unashamedly replied, knowing how sappily pathetic he sounded - and he could care less. He had his Obi-Wan back where he belonged - and he was not going to roam away again. “You do realize that you aren’t going to leave my sight again, right?”

Obi-Wan sighed, shaking his head as he stepped back and finally entered their home. “Yes, I knew that pronouncement was coming - and I was dreading it.”

“You’re going to get no reward!” Leia practically shouted at him. “You nearly got all of us killed with your fancy pants maneuvering.”

“Fancy pants?” Han gaped at her, shocked, allowing Luke to help Winter to a seat near the fireplace. “What kind of thanks is that after all I did for you? That’s gratitude for you. I could’ve left you stuck on that moon, princess.”

Anakin snorted, not surprised at all. Even if he didn't really know his daughter, he could tell she was much like him. And Han? The man was a scoundrel, rogue, and had a mischievous personality all rolled up and hidden behind a devil may care attitude. It was only to be expected of those two. He wondered for a moment if he should warn her mothers about this guy but chose to let it go - for the moment.

Closing the door once everyone was inside and settled down, he quickly captured him and turned him around. After being without him for the past few weeks, he was **_not_** going to embrace his Master’s back. That would be asking to much of him. Resting his forehead against Obi-Wan’s own, he asked. “Tell me, Master, have they been going at each other like this long?”

Obi-Wan’s look was pained as he momentarily closed his eyes, “They’ve been worse.”

“Worse?” he chuckled, “Is such a thing possible?”

“Oh, yes. Especially when he had the mistaken belief that Winter and Leia had a relationship deeper than sisters. He asked if he could watch while they copulated,” he delicately said, coughing to try to escape the blush that colored his cheeks.

It didn’t work.

“Copulate?” Anakin repeated, shaking his head in utter amusement. “He actually used that word?” he added.

“No,” he primly replied. “Han used other, less appropriate terms to describe what he wished to see - and participate in.”

Though he knew he shouldn’t, he couldn’t resist saying, “Would now be the right time to tell you I told you so?”

“If you do, you will be sleeping on the couch for quite some time,” Obi-Wan said, looking him straight in the eye.

He pouted, knowing that this was no empty threat. Obi-Wan would do what he promised - and be able to hold to his pledge no matter what tricks or seduction techniques he employed. His Master was about the only one Anakin knew who would be able to go without any kind of sexual contact with him for quite possibly the rest of his life. And, while he knew that his Master would miss it, he also knew that Obi-Wan would never renege on his word.

Never. It was highly admirable - and downright frustrating to him. “Spoilsport.”

“Would you have me any other way?” Obi-Wan asked, idly caressing his cheek.

With a long suffering sigh, he shook his head, being careful not to dislodge his hand. The few times that Obi-Wan found the courage to caress him so publicly, even if they were in their home and surrounded by family, were to be cherished and held dear - and never be allowed to slip away easily. “You know that I wouldn’t. Most of the time,” he couldn’t resist adding.

“With a mouth like that it’s no wonder you haven’t gotten a suitor yet,” Han’s voice broke into their conversation and they finally looked over into their living room.

Luke knelt in front of Winter, studiously tending to her wounded leg and ignoring the discussion (if it could be called that) between Han and Leia. Winter’s eyes were closed and she sagged into the chair, feeling the tensions drift away. R2 was beside her, now positioned so that he could help Luke if it proved necessary.

Leia stood just off to the right on the far side of the room by the bay window, her fists clenched on her hips as she glared up at Han. Han, meanwhile, leaned casually against the wall. But his eyes stared right at the princess, unwilling to yield the field to her even though he’d been forced to resort to the basest of all defensive techniques - insulting her personal life.

Her brown eyes narrowed, “My personal life is no concern of yours, Solo. I am surprised at you though. Raised by the negotiator himself one would think that you would be able to argue more effectively than this. An insult against me is not very original. Rather sad, really. After all I was told of you from Luke, I was expecting someone with more intelligence than a bantha. Somehow, I am not surprised to find that you have failed the test.”

“Intelligence is more than being able to speak fancy words in long sentences, lady.”

She smiled thinly, “But it is more than being able to mouth off rudely. You are nothing more than a common boor. Was that short enough for you? Or should I try to break it down even further for you to understand?” Leia deliberately pronounced every syllable as she spoke to him, a challenge in her eyes.

Luke finished dressing Winter’s wounds and then, placing his fingers in his mouth, whistled sharply. Startled by the sound, the two looked at him. “Would you guys please behave yourselves. Your behavior is embarrassing to you and to Master Kenobi.”

“HEY!” Anakin objected.

Luke shrugged, “Sorry, dad. But you are enjoying this way to much to be appalled by their childish behavior. Now, what happened?”

Leia’s eyes closed, pain flickering across her face briefly. “Sidious invaded on some charge that we had stolen information about his new weapon - that Death Star. While we do have it, this information only came into our possession after we had to flee. My father…adoptive father," Leia changed it, sending an apologetic look towards Anakin. He waved it off because he understood and honored the bond between them and she continued, relieved that he was not offended, “Went away in his ship, creating a diversion so that we could escape. If all goes as planned, Sidious and his apprentice will be following him.”

Obi-Wan softly said, “He’ll be all right, Leia. If I know anything about Bail Organa it is that he can take care of himself. For though he is a pacifist, he realizes that one must sometimes fight in order to accomplish anything. And he is an able warrior and strategist.”

Nodding once, she carried on. “Winter and I were lightly pursued in our small craft and crashed before the Emperor - or whoever was on that devil machine - decided to show off its power, to make a point. Alderaan is no more.”

Luke was instantly by her side, hugging her tightly as she silently choked back her sobs of grief. There would be no tears now. They would come later when she had time to luxuriate in them. Now, though, now was the time for work. In an eerily calm, emotionless voice, she described the crash on the moon, the privations they had gone through, finding Artoo with the information intact, and waiting for rescue.

“Wait,” Anakin slowly said, “When you say Alderaan is gone, you’re not talking metaphorically are you.”

She swallowed, unable to answer.

“I’m afraid not, Anakin. It seems that the new weapon can destroy a planet. The plans for it are in R2. Once more, we owe him a debt of gratitude for his loyalty and his continued service to the cause of freedom,” Obi-Wan informed him, calm expression belied by the slight waver in his voice. “Unfortunately, we cannot access them without C-3PO.”

"Thanks, R2," he said, smiling at the whistle and click he received before sobering again. “Why?”

“That is the way Senator Amidala and Senator Organa safeguarded the plans. Since both of these droids have helped in the past, only they can unlock the secrets. And if either has been tampered with, the plans are forever lost,” Winter said, finally coming out of her haze. A trembling hand rose to push back a lock of her white hair, brown eyes lost for a moment before a hand touched her own. A smile crossed her face, seeing only kindness and sympathy in Luke's blue eyes. “I remember her telling me that it was imperative that nothing be left to chance. Padmé was very insistent upon this being the only path to success before she fled to join Sabé.”

“It is something that Sidious would not expect,” Anakin slowly agreed, sickened at the thought of a machine designed to kill so many beings with just one push upon a button. It was utterly unreal. Inconceivable to him to contemplate. And yet, it was real.

They were dealing with such a machine.

“That is why she thought about it,” Winter agreed with him, looking over at the legendary Jedi pair curiously. She had not quite believed it when Leia had told her that Anakin Skywalker was, not only innocent of the crimes laid at his feet, but her father. Looking at him, she could see that it was true. While there were no obvious traces of him in her face, she had the look of a Skywalker about her. Winter could see it more clearly when she looked at the one Leia had called brother.

And yet, there was something else going on between those two men, though she was not sure that Leia knew about it herself. Something connected them in a way that could not be easily explained by saying partner bond or family. It was deeper than mere words could describe, this thing between them and suddenly, Winter knew what it was.

They _loved_.

“All right,” Obi-Wan cleared his throat then. “It’s late and we are all very tired. I suggest we turn in and discuss what we are to do tomorrow when we have clearer heads. Luke, would you mind sleeping in Han’s room so that Winter and Leia may have your own?”

“I already prepared it,” Luke replied, waving it off.

“You knew we would be coming today?” Leia gasped, staring at him with something akin to raw wonder.

“I hoped that you would,” he corrected, feeling extremely uncomfortable by it. It was akin to how his former friends had looked at him when he first discovered his ability in the Force.

“Oh,” she sagged, disappointed by this. “I had hoped that I wasn’t the only one who saw things that just weren’t there.”

“What?” he asked, startled. This gift he had was something that he preferred not to talk about, though he could see the way it had shaped and helped his father and Papa-Wan. It never seemed to help him though. All it seemed to do was set him apart from those of his peer group, making him - once again - a freakish oddity.

“Not now,” Anakin interrupted before she could answer him. If they were going to talk about the Force, he would prefer to do it when he was rested - and his beloved wasn’t falling asleep while standing on his feet. “As Obi-Wan said, we are all tired and need our rest. We can talk about this tomorrow when our minds are clear and our burdens are not quite so pressing.”

Han straightened up and walked over to Winter, helping her to her feet. “We’ll take you to your temporary room then.”

“Thank you,” she murmured yawning just a little.

“I’ll lock up,” Luke offered, knowing that his father just wanted to get Papa-Wan into their room so that he could prove to himself that he was really there. In actuality, Luke couldn’t blame him. After hearing about Alderaan’s fate, he knew that anything could’ve happened to him while he was away.

A part of him wanted to join them, like he once had as a child when he was scared of dreams or being in a new place. And while he knew that he wouldn't be refused, he also knew that he should allow them time to be with each other. There would be time for him to be held by them both soon enough.

And just may be Leia would be willing to join them...

“I’ll help,” Leia was quick to offer. Not only did she _not_ want to spend any time with that scoundrel, there were things she wished to discuss with Luke that simply could not be done with their father standing right there.

“Thank you. I will see the both of you in the morning and answer any questions you may have for me then.” Anakin was grateful for the offer, so he freely offered to answer anything they had to ask without thinking about it, vaguely aware he might come to regret it. He then helped Obi-Wan walk out of the room after Winter and Han.

Leia watched them go, before turning to help Luke lock up. Occasionally, the would look at each other as though trying to see themselves in the other and then look away, self-conscious. “Luke, are father and Master Kenobi…close?”

“Of course,” he said, not sure what she was referring to.

“No, no. I mean, are they _close_?” she asked. “Is their kissing a normal thing?”

“Not really, Obi-Wan’s not really comfortable with public displays of affection, though father can be very persuasive when he wants to be.”

“No, Luke. That’s not what I mean. I mean it is, but it isn’t,” she paused, blushing. “What I need to know is, should I hate Obi-Wan for stealing father away from mother?”

Luke stared at her, not sure if he should laugh or cry in horror. _Hate Papa-Wan? What kind of crack headed thinking was that? How could anyone hate Papa-Wan and call themselves human_?

“May be we should sit down,” Luke finally found the words to speak. Once seated, he looked at her, carefully asking, “Leia, what exactly do you know about the relationship that father and mother had?”

“Nothing much,” she shrugged, “But they must have loved each other a whole lot for father to go against the Jedi like he did to be with her and create us.”

“You do know that just because someone gives into their passion for someone, it doesn’t translate automatically in to a love that spans the ages, right?”

“Of course I do,” she snapped. “I’m not totally naïve.”

Holding up his hands in surrender, he searched his mind and tried to come up with an answer that would work.

“Leia, Obi-Wan did not steal me from anyone,” Anakin quietly said from the doorway. “If anything, I did the stealing and it took me quite some time to do it too. Padmé, your mother, was a dear friend - who was involved in a loving and committed relationship with her beloved Sabé.”

Leia and Luke had turned to look at him, shocked that he was there. “Is Papa-Wan all right?” the question flew from Luke’s mouth before he could stop it.

“He fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. So, I came out to make sure you didn’t forget to lock the bay window like you did last night.”

“Dad, I only forgot that one time,” he semi-whined.

“But once is one time to many in these dark and dangerous times,” Anakin reminded him sternly. “We can’t be to careful - especially now.

“Yes, dad. Sorry,” Luke muttered, looking away.

He rested a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently. “Luke, I’m not mad at you. I’m worried about this move and the repercussions involved. I can’t see the way events are moving about us now clearly - and neither can Obi-Wan,” he added. “We’ve tried so hard to stay out of the line of the Empire’s sight - and now, we’ve really introduced our presence in a major way.”

“I understand.”

“I’m sorry to cause such problems,” Leia said, twisting her fingers nervously. “I just didn’t know where else to go.”

“You did the right thing, Leia,” Anakin soothed her. “I would be terribly upset had you not come to us. As for your mother…I really don’t want to talk about my relationship with Padmé but I need to tell you this. Why don’t we go outside and talk?”

They jumped up, Luke with less enthusiasm than Leia. He knew this story already and really didn’t want to hear it again. Unlike Leia, he did not know Padmé as anything more than one of the leaders of the resistance and his biological mother.

Still, his father had asked him to join them and he rarely asked for anything.

Outside the moon was rising over the trees and a light breeze blew. Anakin stood, leaning against the rail in much the same way Han would. Luke and Leia sat on the swing, rocking it back and forth as they waited for him to start.

“I met your mother when I was ten in a junk shop on Tatooine,” he started the story, staring off into the distance. For a moment, a dark expression crossed his face before it cleared. “She came in with Master Jinn, looking for some parts for their ship. We had them but Watto wouldn’t accept Republican credits for them. He was shrewd and wanted a bargain-and credits are worthless on a planet like Tatooine. So, I offered to race for him, see if I could win the money he needed to be able to get them. I knew that my mother would not like it if I was entered into the Boonta Eve Classic but what else could I do? They needed help and I could do it.”

“Wait, your mother? But how did you know your mother? I though that the Jedi did not know their birth family,” Leia interrupted him. The reference to the planet Tatooine passed over her in a haze. But this information was so unusual, she had to stop him and ask.

“Unlike other Jedi, I knew my mother. I was not raised in the Temple as they were. I was not tested like the others. Although Tatooine is a part of the Republic, it really doesn’t fall under its protection because it has been claimed by the Hutts. So, the Republic never really bothered with anything that went on there. And I was born, as most of my family had been, into slavery, so no one would be able to find me anyway.”

Leia gasped, her hand covering her mouth. “That’s awful!”

“It would have been far worse had my mother and I belonged to a crueler Master," he said having come to realize this over time. It didn't make it right but it made it bearable. "But we were not, we were allowed to stay together. As a result of this, I was raised in love. That is not to say that I was happy - I hated every moment of uncertainty. I hated being nothing more than an object for someone to use and dispose of as they willed. But…it wasn’t a hard life because I had my mom with me, teaching me and giving me her strength.”

He trailed off, thinking of her. Of her hopeful smile as she watched him leave her behind, seeking a better life than the one he shared with her. Of her broken and bleeding body, cooling in his arms as life slipped away from her, leaving him with only a faint smile and words of love to comfort him.

Shaking off the memory of the last time he saw his mother, he refocused on them. “I was a gifted racer with quite a reputation. I knew that I could help them out. Master Jinn made a side wager with Watto concerning my freedom. I raced - and won, though it was close. One of the racers - a hateful dug named Sebulba - tried to kill me. He was nearly successful to,” he admitted wryly.

“And the other threat?” Leia asked, not wanting to contemplate what kind of being would try to kill a child. Prestigious race or not, what was the point if you had to kill someone in order to assure one’s victory? Did that not make it a hollow, an empty victory?

“The other threat I faced was one all racers faced,” he shrugged it off. Having been raised around such thinking, he did not know how to ease her mind. It was just the way the racers worked. “The Boonta Eve Classic is a highly publicized race. There is always a high turn out and more than a few fortunes are made-or destroyed. The danger comes out along the race track. Especially dangerous are the caverns along Beggar’s Canyon, anyone can hide there and take shots at the racers, hoping to get parts from the pods. I was shot at, nearly hit a few times - until Obi-Wan arrived and saved me. Though, mind you, I am not supposed to know that he was there at all.”

“Why?” Luke asked curiously. He’d never heard this part of the story before and wondered why it was coming to light now.

Chuckling, he shot him a look that almost seemed to say ‘ _you even have to ask_ ’. But he answered it anyway, fingers tracing the railing idly. “The first reason is that Obi-Wan was disobeying his orders. He was told to remain with the ship and protect the Queen and her retinue - you know how he is about following orders,” they exchanged rueful looks. “But the other reason - which is more important - is that he is a very humble man. Obi-Wan is, quite possibly, the strongest Jedi you will ever meet. Granted, he doesn’t have the level that I was tested at but his abilities reach out farther than anyone else’s ever has. Or ever will.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Simply this - there was no way that Obi-Wan could’ve gotten to Beggar’s Canyon unless he had traveled all night and half a day to get there from where he was. And that’s _only_ if he had a ship or a bantha to aid him. He had neither,” he stated, so firmly that there was no questioning his answer. He elaborated anyway. “If they’d had a smaller craft in their ship, they could’ve traded for the parts they needed and I would not have raced for them.”

“Oh,” Leia thought about that for a moment. “So, how did he get there?”

“I don’t know,” Anakin shrugged. “Remember, Leia, I’m not even supposed to know that he was there.”

“Then he did you figure it out?”

A soft smile crossed his face, “One does not forget a Force presence like Obi-Wan Kenobi. He is the illumination of the Force, the sum and wonder of it all.”

“Father, that’s sappy,” Leia frowned. “Does Obi-Wan like it when you talk like this?”

“Oh, yes. It gives me something to laugh about,” Obi-Wan’s sleepy voice cut into their conversation. “I realize that you do not need rest, Anakin, being somewhat divine in your own mind - but Luke and Leia do. Bed, young ones.”

With little fuss, they went inside and turned in.

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan murmured as he turned into the warmth of the embrace offered. “I love you. You do know that, right?”

Though he felt an inexplicable chill at the words - as if he were being warned, Anakin chose to ignore it. He smiled into the darkness, nuzzling Obi-Wan’s hair as he pulled him even closer into his arms. Force how he'd missed this. “Yes, beloved. I hope you also know that I love you. That you believe it too.”

They were the last words spoken before sleep claimed them.

* * *

Anakin awoke early, grumpy at not feeling his left arm. During the night it had gone completely numb under the weight of Obi-Wan’s body. A goofy smile crossed his face chasing away his grumpy mood as he realized the cause for his discomfort, though moving it caused painful tingles to run along his nerve endings.

He wouldn’t have it any other way.

Obi-Wan stirred, moving away from him instinctively. “Sorry,” he mumbled, having felt his displeasure through their bond.

“Don’t worry about it - I’d rather have it numb than lacking you,” he replied, moving closer to inhale the musky scent of his beloved idiot.

“Still, it cannot be pleasant for you…” he started to say, rolling over at the insistence of his guiding hand.

“You can help me wake it up then,” Anakin suggested, his fingers tracing up Obi-Wan’s spine slowly.

“Oh, really? And how would you suggest I do that?” he teased, a smile curling his lips.

“Leia! Put that down! Now!” Winter’s voice called out, startling the both of them.

Instantly awake, they rose and pulled on their robes, opening the door. At a near run, they entered the kitchen to see Leia threatening Han with a butcher knife. It was clear from the way he was cornered that he had not been expecting her to be comfortable with the weapon and had allowed himself to be trapped.

Obi-Wan gestured and the knife came to him, “Do I even want to know what has caused this ruckus this early in the morning?” His calmly spoken question and placid face was totally at odds with his dishabille.

“I merely wished to show _him_ ,” her voice was laced with pure venom as she scathingly gestured to Han, “That I am more than capable of protecting myself from danger - without the aid of a blaster. Winter merely overreacted.”

“Did she?” he asked, placing the knife down on the counter beside him. “Does Miss Winter ever overreact to any situation she has been placed in? I do not believe that I found her to be anything more than practical while on our trip.”

Leia flushed, looking away, shamed. “Okay. May be I was showing off a tad more than was required - but he started it, mouthing off like he was. Like I was some pampered princess who wouldn’t know how to take care of myself without some Neanderthal standing over me, holding my hand and protecting me from the big, bad Empire.”

Obi-Wan’s head shook, “Why am I reminded of you and Ferus Olin?” he observed to Anakin.

“I have no idea,” Anakin replied, looking only far to innocent for it to be real. “I never acted like this with him.”

“Uh-huh,” Obi-Wan’s look was skeptical.

“Well,” he moderated quickly, seeing the teasing look in his eyes. His Master was going to recount the several times he _had_ acted like that, “Not as often as the Council made it out to be. And Olin deserved it, Mr. Perfect Padawan who could not conceive that there was always a way to do things that did not require strict obedience to the Jedi Code.”

“Whose this Ferus Olin?” Luke idly asked, yawning widely as he entered the room. Being an unusually heavy sleeper, the commotion had not stirred him. Neither Jedi could figure out where he’d gotten that from. Anakin and Padmé were notorious for being early risers, their work ethic wouldn’t allow them to sleep in. And Obi-Wan had trained himself to get up early so that he could meditate in the pre-dawn hours.

“Or is that another thing I don’t want to know about until I’m older?” he teasingly added, the hair on the back of his neck prickling as it felt the tensions singing in the air. It almost made him sneeze.

“An old Padawan I knew,” Anakin waved off the other man, somewhat disdainfully.

Even after all this time, Ferus Olin was a sore spot with him. There was just something about the other boy that had continually rubbed him wrong - especially when he learned that he had been desperately hoping to replace Anakin as Obi-Wan’s future apprentice when the Jedi Council had debated over making a stronger Jedi his Master due to his increasing strength and talent in many areas of the Force.

They had believed that he needed a steadier and more experienced hand to guide him.

It didn’t matter to Anakin in the least what they thought. No matter how much time had passed during his early training with the others, he’d known that it had to be Obi-Wan who taught him. Obi-Wan and no other - or he would just not become a Jedi. There was no other being capable of taking him down the path he was meant to walk.

And, contrary to what Olin had thought - and voiced often with disparagement, it had nothing at all to do with Master Jinn’s last request (though he admitted that he was indebted to the man for getting Obi-Wan to risk everything for him and ask the Council for permission to train him) and everything to do with the Force’s will. The two of them were meant to be together.

Surprisingly, it had been Mace Windu himself who had shot down the idea, using - of all things - the obvious attachment between the two. He argued that it would only alienate the boy because they would be taking away the only person in the Temple he really knew and had grown up with, believing that they would officially become Master and Padawan as soon as he came of age.

And for that help, Anakin would be eternally grateful to him. Mace Windu had been many things to Anakin over the years but he was a fair man. An honest man - and he gave them the support that they needed to do what had to be done. “He’s not that important really, just…”

“One of the Emperor’s most trusted men,” Winter informed them slowly, knowing that she knew that name from somewhere. Now that the emergency between Leia and Han had been taken care of, she sank back onto her chair, rubbing her head wearily. It had been a long night in which she had not gotten enough sleep, being troubled by Leia’s worries for her adoptive father and her own memories of her last sight of Alderaan.

The sudden disappearance of it haunted her repeatedly. The sound of Leia’s agonized, silent scream of anguish chilled her. And made her eternally grateful that she was not cursed with this inner sight that Leia had to hear others.

Still, she was troubled in ways Leia was not.

It was times like these that she cursed her photographic memory. While she knew it was necessary for the Rebellion and their cause, there were times when it plagued her relentlessly and brought her no joy. This was such a time.

Forcing herself to forget Alderaan for a time, she searched her mind for what she knew about this man. Without even waiting for them to ask for more information, Winter told them everything she'd learned about him. It wasn't much but at least they wouldn't be going into this blind. “He is the foster father of Mara Jade, one of Sidious’ odd charity cases. From what Sabé was able to learn about her, she is Force sensitive - and was abandoned by her parents at some point on some world. I think it was Jabiim.”

She did not notice the pained looks Obi-Wan and Anakin exchanged. Anakin instantly went over to Obi-Wan, his arm pulling him into his side. For once, Obi-Wan leaned into the embrace without even a sigh of complaint. In fact, his arm went around his waist and he squeezed it comfortingly.

But Leia did - so did Han. And he, unlike Leia, knew the full significance of the planet. A chill ran through him, making him only all to painfully aware of the knowledge he carried - and had charged Luke with.

“Sidious found her there on one of his trips around those worlds that had become part of the Confederacy. He gave her to Lord Olin - so titled because he has been of invaluable aid to the Emperor in the Mid-Rim. It means, quite simply, that he is an overlord of the mid rim of the Empire. Ferus Olin is tyrant of the worst kind because he actually thinks he’s doing the right thing. He thinks that he’s being a kind and decent ruler,” she finished.

Anakin scowled darkly at that, “Lord Olin? I don’t know why I’m disappointed in him. I should’ve known that someone so rule bound would end up working for the Empire. After all, they create order,” he snidely finished, relaxing when Obi-Wan’s hand moved from its spot on his waist to gently touch his cheek.

As much as he wished to hang on, he couldn’t. Now was certainly not the time to vent. It wouldn't help and he would only be clouded from hearing what the Force wanted him to hear. Nor was it Winter’s fault. One shouldn’t shoot the messenger just because they did not like the message given.

But he always _knew_ that Olin’s groveling, always following the rules and not even thinking that there could possibly be another way would get him in trouble one day. That his strict obedience to the Code and the Council’s orders would blind him. That devotion was his downfall - as was his arrogance that he would always be in the right by following the rules.

Tightening his hold upon Obi-Wan, he was grateful that his Master had never fallen into that trap. He knew that it was only their chance meeting that had prevented some of it for having been raised by Master Jinn, Obi-Wan had developed a fear of failing in his duty. Failing those he cared for because he did not want to disappoint anyone like he had on Melida/Daan.

It was one of the only things Anakin found he could hate Master Jinn for.

"What else do you know of this Mara Jade?” Obi-Wan asked, ignoring the Ferus angle for the moment. From what he remembered of the young man, he had been staid and almost predictable. But that did not mean he wasn't a threat. It was just that until he could be assured that Anakin would be calm and rational - as far as he was able to be, that is - he did not want to pursue it. Ferus Olin and his defection to the Sith Lord’s side would be something they had to face later.

Obi-Wan was not looking forward to it.

“Not much,” Leia replied, making a face as she recalled the other teen. “I was her playmate for a few years when we were younger, before Winter came into my life. She’s younger than me and Luke by a few years - and is a little snot. Mara Jade makes _him_ look like a perfect gentleman.”

Han rolled his eyes but remained silent, seeing the pleading in Obi-Wan’s own to not start a fight. As much as he wished to shoot her down, he couldn’t do it - not when the man he privately called father was looking like a migraine was forming.

Meeting Anakin’s eyes, he noted both the suspicion there and the questions there. Shaking his head, he subtly jerked his head towards the library once Obi-Wan had returned his attention to Leia.

Anakin nodded, recognizing the need for the both of them to have a private talk. Again, a chill raced down his spine. This time, he listened to it and he did not like what it had to say. “Do you think this is important?” he asked, forcing himself to be rational. “The fact that Sidious is gathering Force sensitive children together like this?”

Though worried, Obi-Wan knew that it would do no good to worry over it right now. They needed to get the facts together and then lay out a course of action for them to work. To do anything else would be a waste of energy and time best spent doing other, more important things. “I think that we should get dressed, eat, and then discuss our next move before we do anything else. If Sidious is gathering Force sensitive children to his side, he could tap into their connection and find us.”

It was not a pleasant thought.

* * *

“How long have you known that Asajj Ventress has been alive, masquerading as me?” Anakin asked without preamble as he folded the door over.

Han closed his eyes, “I learned about it recently from an old friend of mine. Chewie tracked him down after the last bust up. The chances of the Emperor finding us so many times is just to coincidental for him, even if he does have that Force you are so fond of.”

“That would make it…three months,” Anakin’s lips pressed together for a moment. “You’ve known for that long and never thought that we had a right to know? That **_I_** had a right to know what I was sending Obi-Wan off into? The danger that could have grabbed you both…Han, I lost him to that…that demon Sith spawn before - I will not do it again!”

"Chewie called and found out more information about Vader, as well as a new place for us to hide. I hate to say this but its a little more complicated than that, Skywalker."

"More complicated?" he repeated the words, arms folded across his chest. "How?"

"In the way that its not her alone, there's someone else - or may be a lot of others - her spirit's been mingled with. All of whom have a grudge against Master Kenobi," he added, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Several someones who..." Anakin trailed off, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. There were more than a few beings who came to mind who were as dangerous as Ventress and none of them had been easy to destroy. He shuddered as he thought of the being Durge. His insane regenerative abilities alone had made him deadly - it had taken almost all that Obi-Wan had to subdue the Gen'Dai on Muunilinst.

He'd only been able to defeat him through trickery - and the convenience of a sun and escape pod. "And you didn't think that I had a right to know this? That I would want to know before I let Obi-Wan go off into danger? What made you think that you had the right to keep this from me?"

“This is why I didn’t tell you,” Han said, pacing the room. “I knew that you would find a way to make it my fault.”

“I’m not making it your fault.”

“It certainly seems like you are,” Han pointed out, whirling about to face him. His hands clenched together, wanting to lash out at something, _anything_. “I know that I should have told you - but how? Master Kenobi would have gone to save her anyway - and you with him. The both of you together would have been enough to catch the Emperor’s eye. We would be in the worst situation possible and you know it. I can’t be the only one here who sees the danger.”

“You’re not,” Anakin hissed, “But you are the one who deliberately kept information from me and from Obi-Wan. Information that could’ve gotten all of you killed and the plans for that devil machine recaptured by the Empire.”

“Yeah, I made a mistake,“ Han admitted. “I let my fear rule me. Big deal. It can’t change what’s been done. The question is, where do we go now? Do we tell Obi-Wan?”

“Tell Obi-Wan what?” his voice was colder than Anakin had ever heard it and he flinched back from the shuttered look on his Master’s face. Han stumbled back, looking away from the face of the suddenly aged man. “Well? What is it that you have to tell me?”

“I…I…” Anakin trailed off, hating the distance in the bond that Obi-Wan had thrown up between them violently. He hadn’t been so cut off from his Master - ever. Even in the early days of their partnership, Obi-Wan had always been an open conduit of communication to him, always encouraging him to read him, to truly get to know the man behind the title Master.

Now, he was locked tighter than any citadel had ever been.

It was clear that Obi-Wan had heard a lot more than he was letting on. His disappointment was the only thing that he did not bother to lock away. That hung in the air, permeating it with the weight of his sorrow.

“I thought we were beyond this,” Obi-Wan softly observed. “Beyond keeping secrets from each other. I thought we had decided that we should be honest in our communications, it would be healthier for us if we talked about everything - even the incredibly painful and totally embarrassing things. That we would never deliberately withhold information again for that is what gave Sidious his first foothold into your mind, Anakin. And now, you and Han have been talking without me, making it clear that whatever it is, you have to ask if it is something that I should know.”

Now, they both stumbled back, slapped with the sheer lack of anything in his voice. Obi-Wan could have been talking about anything from the weather to the shingle that leaked constantly no matter how many times they fixed it.

“I really expected better from the both of you,” he finished, turning and walking away.

Anakin bolted after him a few moments later, panicked. Not that he would lose Obi-Wan to the Empire’s spies, though that fear was lying in wait, latent and ready to spring upon him at a moment’s notice. That fear was always there. Always waiting to get him the moment he let his guard drop.

No. It wasn’t that at all for he could deal with that fear. It was far more simple than that - he didn’t want to lose him because of his own stupid folly. He didn’t want to lose him because he had tried to keep the truth from him about Asajj Ventress being alive. And that was a very real possibility.

But he couldn’t help the fear that sprung to life about her. After losing him to her once and then having her haunt his Master’s mind - and nearly kill him because he could not sleep for she would attack him then - he wasn’t about to take any chances that Obi-Wan would try to save her from Sidious. He knew that had he not killed her on Coruscant after she had attacked him, Obi-Wan would’ve tried to save her.

It was just what his Master did.

“Master! Wait!” The door slammed behind him as he ran after Obi-Wan, knowing that there was only one place Obi-Wan would go-the summit. The peak dominated the entire landscape and would take him half the day to reach.

Luke heard the door slam shut and rose quickly, forgetting Winter and their conversation for the moment. He walked over and watched as his father disappeared into the forest, heading for the summit. Turning around, he saw Han standing in the door of the library. “I take it you told them,” he said, taking in his pale, shaken countenance.

“I didn’t have to tell your father - he already knew.” Han sighed, rubbing the back of his neck irritably. “Obi-Wan overheard some of our conversation.”

His eyes closed momentarily. This was far worse than he feared. “Which part?” he asked, not sure he really wanted to hear the answer. Knowing that he needed to know anyway and he opened his eyes to face it, to face his friend. This was something that he could not do with his eyes closed, it would be wrong to try to avoid it.

“When I asked if we were going to tell him,” he admitted.

Luke resisted the urge to strangle the older man. Not only was it pointless, there was no way he’d succeed. “That is not good,” he dryly observed.

Han gulped, looking at him, keeping nothing hidden from his friend. There was no spiteful comment about his habit of stating the obvious. Luke shivered at the look of haunted self-hatred in his eyes.

Those brown eyes spoke volumes about what he was feeling. “I’ve never seen Obi-Wan look so…so betrayed, hurt. His voice was like,” he expelled a breath hastily, looking away from the austere look there. “I’ve never heard a voice like his, Luke. It was…devoid. It was dead and he looked so old, Luke, far older than I thought he could look.”

“What did you expect? You and father betrayed his trust.” The words were not shouted but they might as well have been. “ _ **I**_ betrayed his trust. I should have told him right after you told me. Obi-Wan deserves better than what we did to him.”

Han slid down the wall, burying his face in the arms that crossed over his legs. “I know,” he whispered, unable to say anything else.

Slowly, Luke walked over and rested his hand on Han’s shoulder, not knowing what else to do for him.

Leia walked down the stairs then, a data pad in her hand. “Where’s Winter? I need to ask her something about this.”

"She’s reading in there,” Luke pointed to the den.

“Did I miss something?” she asked, studying them. Though she had no sympathy for Han, she did care for her brother. And the both of them looked as though they’d been involved in a storm on one of Alderaan’s wild seas.

Han glanced up, “Your father found out who Darth Vader is.”

“So? Isn’t that a _good_ thing?”

“Obi-Wan doesn’t know - and father wasn’t sure he should be told. Unfortunately, before he could make a decision, Obi-Wan revealed his presence. He’s hurt that father was debating on keeping this knowledge from him.”

Leia winced even as she whistled, “Oh. That’s bad.” Then the significance of his words hit her, “Wait - how do you know who Vader is? Even with the best resources of the Rebellion at our disposal, none of us could figure it out.”

“Ask Han,” Luke replied.

“I might have known,” she compressed her lips together momentarily. “Well? Who is it?”

“Ask nicely, princess, and I may consider telling you,” he shot back.

“I do not have time to cater to your ego,” she snapped. “The Empire grows stronger every day and we do not have all the resources available to us. Sidious' long reaching fist tightens upon our throats and he will strangle the life out of us. Do you think that he will spare you? Even if you were to betray us, he would have you killed. You know to much and are to much of a danger for him. Now, who is Vader?”

Han pushed himself up off the floor, shaking off Luke’s hand. “I’m not doing this with you, princess. There’s no point in trying to use your cause to get me to help. I rescued you because Obi-Wan asked me to - and I’m loyal to him, not this idealistic crusade you are a part of. You want to know Vader’s identity, ask Luke.”

The door banged shut behind him.

Leia looked after him as he made his way to the _Falcon_ then at her brother, a question in her eyes. Beyond that uncertainty was the faintest sheen of disappointment - whether in Han or herself, Luke could not say for sure. He was not as good at judging people as Obi-Wan and his sister were.

“What just happened?” she asked, truly confused by the easy way Han had relinquished the field of battle to her. And it wasn’t even a truce, he had merely given up.

Luke stared after Han, a considering look upon his face as he realized something. Nodding in acceptance - and regret, he made his decision. One he knew was the right one for him.

“You might want to see Winter,” he said instead. “Vader is difficult. I would wait until father returns. Obi-Wan will feel less betrayed if he’s not the last one to know who Vader is. Though he may believe you if you tell him it was from the Rebellion that you learned about it. After all, it is highly possible that you would learn the truth from them.”

“But what happened, Luke?” she pressed him, not wanting to let it go - until she saw his pleading look. As much as she wished to know, she had to let it go until later. This was not something that Luke would speak of - no matter what.

“Later, Leia. Everything will make sense.” _I hope_ , he silently added, staring out the door both his fathers and Han had disappeared through. He hated keeping things from his sister but he just didn’t have the answers she wanted.

Only their father did.

* * *

_My knowledge of Durge comes from the 2003-2005 animated Clone Wars from Cartoon Network created by George Lucas and Genndy Tartakovsky._


End file.
